Crystal Gems
The Crystal Gems are the main protagonist faction in the animated series Steven Universe. They are apart of a species of beings known as Gems and are a splinter faction of the Homeworld Gems. Description The Crystal Gems were formed about 5,000 years ago by Rose Quartz to protect Earth from magical threats. All members of the group are part of an alien race known as "Gems". The current members are Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Steven, Peridot, Connie, Bismuth, and Lapis Lazuli. Steven is Rose Quartz's son. Due to Gems lacking any sex organs, Rose shapeshifted a womb for her son to be born from and died due to passing on her gem to him. History Much of the history of the Crystal Gems is shrouded in mystery. What is known is that several thousand years ago, Homeworld Gems arrived on Earth and created the "Kindergarten", a facility used to mass-produce new Gems via Injectors. This process was very invasive and damaging to the planet; the gestating Gem draining the life force out of the surrounding area in order to grow. According to Pearl, if this process was allowed to continue, the present Earth would be a lifeless, barren wasteland. Rose Quartz's empathy towards the Earth and beliefs on the Kindergarten's injustice instigated a rebellion fought by those who would become known as the Crystal Gems. Little is known about the ensuing war, simply known as the Rebellion, other than that it ended with all but a few of Rose's closest friends being destroyed, and the Homeworld Gems being driven off Earth, which was then cut off from Gem-controlled space by destroying the Galaxy Warp. For about 5,500 years, the remaining Crystal Gems have used their abilities to defend Earth from countless Gem based threats. However, Rose, as a great admirer of humanity, gave up her physical form to give birth to a half-human child, Steven Universe. The other remaining Crystal Gems, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, have taken it upon themselves to raise alongside Greg and teach him how to use his powers. In "On the Run", it is revealed that Pearl and Garnet originally came from the Gem Homeworld, while Amethyst was formed on Earth in the Prime Kindergarten. Despite being defeated thousands of years ago, the Homeworld Gems have shown renewed interest in Earth, first sending the Red Eye (which was promptly destroyed) to scan for surviving Gems and, as of "Warp Tour", sending one of their engineers Peridot and her robonoids to fix the Galaxy Warp, as well as reactivate dormant Gem technology left on Earth, such as the Facet Five in "Marble Madness" to check on the Cluster. Rose Quartz and Pearl were shown to be the original members of the Rebellion as told in "The Answer". Before Garnet joined the Crystal Gems the Rebellion has been happening for quite some time, enough for Pearl to gain a reputation as "terrifying and renegade" and that the service of a seer Sapphire was required. When Ruby was slated to be executed due to changing the future and letting the traitors escape, Sapphire saved her and the two of them decided to be Garnet and join the Crystal Gems. Sometime after the war, Amethyst was found and taken in as a member. Rose Quartz eventually gives up her physical form to bear a half human, half-Gem being named Steven Quartz Universe. Peridot, a Gem loyal to Homeworld, betrays her superior Yellow Diamond in "Message Received" as Peridot believes Yellow Diamond is too irrational. This action allows Steven to dub Peridot a Crystal Gem with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl agreeing. Members Current Members *Garnet: The de facto leader of the group and a fusion Gem who wields a pair of gauntlets, later with brass knuckles added. She joined the Crystal Gems after deciding to stay a permanent fusion and meeting Rose Quartz. She is the brawler of the group, using her gauntlets to inflict destructive attacks. **Ruby: A short-tempered Gem who makes up half of Garnet. She wields a maroon gauntlet. Initially a low-level Homeworld Gem soldier, she was to be destroyed for accidentally fusing with Sapphire, but was saved by her and stranded on Earth. She joined the Crystal Gems after deciding to stay permanently fused as Garnet. **Sapphire: A calm, yet distant, Gem and other half of Garnet. Her weapon has yet to be seen. Initially a member of Blue Diamond's court, she defected to protect Ruby and joined the Crystal Gems after deciding to stay permanently fused as Garnet. *Pearl: The intellectual and precise member of the group who wields a spear. She and Rose were the first members of the group. Pearl would often help Steven with learning about Gem history, and would often watch out for him. She misses Rose, as she did everything she could to help her. It was revealed in “A Single Pale Rose” that Pearl belonged to Pink Diamond. *Amethyst: The carefree member of the group who wields a one-to-three-tailed whip with morning stars on the end. Unlike the other Gems (besides Steven, who is also from Earth), Amethyst was made on Earth, in the Prime Kindergarten. *Steven Quartz Universe: The half-human member of the group who can summon a pink shield and a bubble, and is also the youngest. He is the son of Rose Quartz, the founder of the Crystal Gems, who gave up her physical form to give birth to him. After growing up in the care of his father, he began living with the Crystal Gems as a member in his adolescence. *Peridot: The maturing, curious, and stubborn one of the group. She is a natural-born technician and a certified Kindergartner. She was once an enemy to the Crystal Gems, but was officially accepted into the group after disobeying Yellow Diamond in "Message Received". Unlike the other Crystal Gems, Peridot does not live at the Temple, but rather the Barn; although she does live in Steven’s bathroom once Lapis left with the barn in “Raise the Barn”. Due to her natural-born skill in engineering and constructing, she is considered to be a technician and engineer of the group like Pearl. *Connie Maheswaran: Steven's human friend and ally. Connie practices swordsmanship (since "Sworn to the Sword"), because she wants to join Steven, to protect him and preserve his legacy. In "Rocknaldo", Steven confirms her place as a member of the group. She also serves as a member of the Crystal Temps. *Bismuth: A weaponsmith of the Crystal Gems from the Rebellion recently brought to light. Rose showed her she could follow her own wants, but when that included shattering Gems, Rose poofed and bubbled her. She was freed by Steven as of “Made of Honor”, and rejoined the Crystal Gems. As stated by herself, her power is equal to Garnet. *Lion: A magical lion that became Steven's pet in "Steven's Lion", but was revealed in "Lion 3: Straight to Video" to have a connection with Rose Quartz, which was explored more in depth in "Rose's Scabbard". *Lapis Lazuli: Lapis became Steven's friend in "Mirror Gem", and convinced Steven to let her free. During that episode and "Ocean Gem", Lapis and the Crystal Gems fought. Lapis later became an ally by warning the group about Peridot and Jasper, saving them from Malachite, and months later they are reunited with her after Alexandrite split Malachite apart. She is now friends/roommates with Peridot at the Barn. In "The New Crystal Gems", she is declared a member of "The Crystal Temps". However, in "Raising the Barn" she left for space and took the entire barn with her until "Reunited" where she returns to Earth and declares herself a Crystal Gem. Former Members *Rose Quartz (founder and original former leader, deceased) She was the one who founded the Crystal Gems, and fought back the Homeworld Gems. She gave up her life in order to give Steven life. It was revealed that she was Pink Diamond. *Cluster Gems (former Crystal Gems forcibly fused together by the Homeworld) Unknown Members *Biggs Jasper: A former member of the Crystal Gems, before being corrupted and bubbled. *Crazy Lace (mentioned by Bismuth) *Snowflake (mentioned by Bismuth) * Tiger's Eye (corrupted; mentioned by Bismuth) * Larimar (corrupted; mentioned by Bismuth) * Beryl (corrupted; mentioned by Bismuth) * Serpentine (corrupted; mentioned by Bismuth) *Other Amethysts (mentioned by Bismuth) *Two Unknown Crystal Gems (rebellion flashback in "Gemcation") *Other Crystal Gems (rebellion flashback in "Your Mother and Mine") Known Crystal Gem Fusions *Garnet: A tough, mysterious, and very stable fusion of Ruby and Sapphire, as confirmed in "Jail Break". *Opal (revealed in "Giant Woman"): A four-armed, tall and slender Gem who wields an energy bow. She is the fusion of Pearl and Amethyst. *Suglite (revealed in "Coach Steven"): A gigantic and bulky Gem who wields a flail. She is the fusion of Garnet and Amethyst. *Sardonyx (revealed in "Cry for Help"): An upbeat and charismatic Gem who wields a war hammer. She is the fusion of Garnet and Pearl *Alexandrite (revealed in "Fusion Cuisine"): An extremely tall, six-armed fusion who has an extra mouth and is the fusion of Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst *Rainbow Quartz (revealed in "We Need to Talk"): A tall, slim, and acrobatic fusion of Rose Quartz and Pearl. *Stevonnie (revealed in "Alone Together"): A tall, one-quarter Gem fusion. They are the fusion of Steven and Connie *Smoky Quartz (revealed in "Earthlings"): A medium, chubby, jokester who wields a yo-yo, fusion of Steven and Amethyst.Unknown Fusion Gem: Not much is known about this fusion. She appears to have large, curly hair and four arms. She saved William Dewey and Buddy Buddwick from the Unknown Giant Gem Monster, and helped them find land. *Unknown Fusion Gem: Not much is known about this fusion. She appears to have large, curly hair and four arms. She saved William Dewey and Buddy Buddwick from the Unknown Giant Gem Monster, and helped them find land. Allies *Greg Universe: Rose Quartz's lover and Steven's father. He knew the Crystal Gems when he was a young adult and currently supports them mostly to be a part of his son's life. ("Laser Light Cannon", "Ocean Gem", "House Guest", "The Message"). *Sadie Miller: Sadie aided the Crystal Gems cause in "Island Adventure", when she helps Steven defeat the Invisible Gem Monster on Mask Island. *Pumpkin: Pumpkin is the sentient pumpkin pet of Peridot & Lapis Lazuli created by Steven Universe in the episode Gem Harvest. It stood in as Pearl in "The New Crystal Gems" in the team of "The Crystal Temps" with Peridot, Lapis, and Connie Maheswaran. *The "Famethyst": Quartz soldiers from Earth-stationed in Pink Diamond's Zoo. They befriended Amethyst and assisted the Crystal Gems in escaping the facility in "That Will Be All". *Ronaldo Fryman: A Beach City resident interested in the odd occurrences around him. He attempts to join the Crystal Gems in "Rocknaldo" going by the name "Bloodstone" after gaining an admiration for their cause. After misunderstanding what it means to be a Crystal Gem, he decides to work alone to educate people about the group by making pamphlets called "Crystal Gems, who are they and how can we help?". *Lars Barriga: Aboard Aquamarine's Ship, Lars was taken to Homeworld with Steven. Once they were brought back together again during Steven's trial, they escape via Blue Diamond's palanquin and hide with the Off Color Gems. However, the Robonoids find everyone and are out to shatter the Off Colors and Steven. Luckily, Lars helps out by fighting back against them but unfortunately dies after getting hit point blank with the explosion of the last Robinoid, getting smashed against a wall, and falling from a great height. After Steven accidentally revives him with a tear, Lars undergoes a magical change. He decides to sacrifice himself by letting Steven go back to Earth through his hair, as Steven promises to find a way to get him back home. *Off Colors: After Steven and Lars land on Homeworld, they encounter a group of unaligned Gems, outcasted from Homeworld society for being abnormal, defective, permafusions, or in Padparadscha's case, having botched abilities. After befriending Steven and Lars, the Off Colors are willing to give up their Homeworld ways and come to Earth, but they stay with Lars for the time being while Steven finds a way to get him home. *Cat Steven: A calico cat of unknown breed adopted by Garnet in "Pool Hopping", after finding and rescuing her and her siblings alongside Steven, she adopts her as she had missed having someone "cute and vulnerable" to care for. Temporary Allies *Topaz: During Steven and Lars' captivity, Steven manages to befriend the Topaz Fusion to the point where she almost turns on Aquamarine. Unfortunately, Aquamarine reminds her that once they turn their backs on Homeworld, she'd have nowhere to go and no way to explain how Aquamarine got poofed. As such, her two halves would be separated and shattered. Steven tries to negotiate with her two half as Lars and him are separated but to no avail. *Zircon (Defense): Zircon is assigned to defend "Rose Quartz" (Steven) in her trial, much to her dismay, and is surprised to see the form "Rose" has taken. Although their interactions are mostly influenced by her job, she tries her best to defend "Rose" to the point that she manages to come up with a strong argument. Unfortunately, she gets caught up in the moment and accuses the Diamonds, getting poofed by Yellow Diamond as a result. Manifesto of Rose Quartz The following is the Manifesto of Rose Quartz, revealed by Pearl in The Guide to the Crystal Gems: "Fight for life on the planet Earth, Defend all human beings, even the ones that you don't understand, Believe in love that is out of anyone's control, And then risk everything for it!" Property Living Space The Crystal Gems evidently own a section of Beach City's shoreline, on which the Crystal Temple and Steven's Beach House resides. Lapis Lazuli and Peridot currently live in the Barn which resides on a hill outside of Beach City. The Barn belongs to Greg and his cousin Andy, but the Gems have effectively taken ownership, using it as a house for new members and to build any required machinery such as The Universe Mach 3 and the Gem Drill. Transport Though technically belonging to Steven, Lion occasionally acts as transport for the Crystal Gems to places they cannot warp to, such as the Moon Base. As of "Bubbled", they now also own a Roaming Eye ship that the Rubies left behind, although it was stolen back by Navy in "Room for Ruby". They also sometimes use the Gem Sloop for traveling at sea, though it hasn't been seen since "Cat Fingers". Physical Weaponry Unbeknownst to Garnet, Amethyst, Peridot, and Lapis Lazuli, they also have an Armory containing more Laser Light Cannons and other various weaponry. They also have a Forge which is currently unusable as their blacksmith, Bismuth, is currently poofed and bubbled to prevent her harming herself and others. Video File:Steven Universe Top 5 Fusions Cartoon Network Gallery Crystal_Gems.png|Crystal Gems in Old Intro (2013-2015) Let's go, Gems!.png|Crystal Gems in New Intro (2015- ) CGs.png The Gems in Season 2.png Message Received 00148.png|Steven declaring Peridot a Crystal Gem CGByKmes.png|Crystal Gems with Peridot Say_Uncle_(72).png kuk1foimpd0ldguqsfwz.jpg New_Crystal_Gems_4.png Crystal_gemsUG.png|Crystal Gems in "The Grampies" Amethyst,_Pearl,_Steven_and_Garnet_(equally_ticked).png Steven_Whining.png All the gems are here.png Tumblr oawhjrBoMr1u174mno4 1280.png Fc81bbddcc6931a680c7e6db52351ec6.png Trivia * Instead of stars on their clothing similar to the current Crystal Gems, the Pilot versions have little gold stars pinned to themselves (Garnet's torso, Pearl's earrings, and Amethyst's hair barrette) ** Rose Quartz seems to have been an outlier in the Gem Homeworld, as her compassion for other life forms does not seem to be shared by her fellow Gems; her fascination and love of humans was considered unorthodox. * The process for each Gem to summon their weapons depends on a different state of mind for each of them. ** Amethyst places little effort or concentration, claiming that it "just happens" when she needs to summon her weapon. ** Pearl claims her process as being perfect and calculated, using the "dance" of a flower petal in the wind to describe how hard work and dedication can help master the properties of one's own gem and "perform their own dance". ** Garnet claims that she summons her gauntlets by linking her mind with the energy of all existing matter, channeling the collective power of the universe through her gems, matching her calm and meditative temperament. ** Steven's means of summoning his shield rely on his feelings of passion or desire to protect other people/Gems, although in "Gem Glow", the joy associated with eating Cookie Cat ice cream was what summoned it. In both his "Ocean Gem" and "The Return" appearances, he summoned it when it was needed to protect those he loved from a large threat, much like his bubble in "Bubble Buddies". * All Crystal Gems, except for Peridot, Ruby, Sapphire, and Connie have stars located somewhere on their outfits. It should also be noted that in the flashback in "Story for Steven", from before Rose is gone, none of them had stars except for Rose herself. This may mean the Crystal Gems adopted the star in memory of Rose Quartz. The placement of the Crystal Gems' stars are as follows: ** Steven and Stevonnie: on his/their T-shirt. ** Garnet: on the chest area of her body suit and on her gauntlets. ** Amethyst: dark lavender star-shaped patterns on her leggings. ** Pearl: on her top. ** Bismuth: star-shaped belt and a tattoo-like marking on her right arm. ** Opal: on the draping section of her shirt. ** Rose Quartz: star-shaped cut out on the torso of her dress, showing her gem. ** Sugilite: black and purple star-shaped patterns on her leggings and painted on her nails. ** Alexandrite: special four-pointed star-shaped cutouts on her leggings and star-shaped hair. ** Sardonyx: black star on the white part of her top. ** Smoky Quartz: on their T-shirt and leggings. * Rebecca Sugar also confirmed that the Crystal Gems are somewhat like her, especially Pearl & Ruby.[citation needed] * Amethyst is loosely based off Rebecca Sugar's friend Valerie Ang from college. * Rebecca Sugar confirmed that each of the Crystal Gems is based on one of the stages of the human emotional development spectrum.23 ** Steven is codependent. *** Common in most children, as children are dependent on their parents or any adult figures on practically anything and everything, as they are expected to be. ** Amethyst is counterdependent; the explorer and rebel, fighting authority and ignoring the consequences of doing so. *** Common in teens and young adults. People here know that they have free will; they usually distrust and challenge their superiors. This is also known as the rebellious stage. ** Pearl is group-dependent; the responsible manager, legalistic to a fault. *** Group-dependent people are ready on taking on responsibilities and expects others to be group-dependent as well. They tend to be obsessed with the notions of obligation and duty. ** Garnet is independent; free to take on the burdens of others can be a bit reckless, and is understanding of the growth that risk-taking can give as well as its limitations. *** Tend to be merciful, and kind, and generous. They will help people because they want to, and they will not help people because they do not want to. ** One can also argue that Rose Quartz is transcendent; kind and loving to a fault. She uses everything in her power to help those in need. *** Master of empathy: Understanding in all situations and acts accordingly to the given situation. Merely acts to the best of their ability, understanding the limitations of their own understanding. However, in being emotionally mature, their actions tend to flow out in proper response to most any situation, expressing sympathy, anger, and forgiveness when they should. * All the Gems' fighting styles are based on different dances: Pearl (ballet), Garnet (waacking), and Amethyst (dancehall and club dancing). This might also have something to do with how they synchronize before fusing.4 * The rule that the Crystal Gems won't use their powers on humans was broken in "Keep Beach City Weird" when they attacked Ronaldo, but in that case an exception was probably made, since they were trying to save Steven. * In "Winter Forecast", it is revealed that Garnet can pass her future vision onto other Crystal Gems temporarily by giving them a kiss on the forehead. It is currently unknown whether or not if this ability is exclusive to Garnet herself, or is shared throughout the Gem race and if Gems can pass it on in different ways. * Each Gem has their own instrument associated with them, and these respective instruments are used in their theme music.567 ** Pearl is a piano. ** Garnet is a synth bass. ** Amethyst is a electric drum kit. ** Rose Quartz is an acoustic guitar, as heard in "Rose's Theme". ** Steven is a chiptune and strings whenever he uses Rose's powers. *** They can be heard in the instrumentals "Steven's Shield", "The Hill", "Overgrown Brambles", "Rose's Fountain", and "Lion's Mane". ** Bismuth is an electric guitar. *** This can be heard in "Bismuth's Forge". ** In "Story for Steven", before Steven was born, the Crystal Gems were particularly asocial towards the humans of Beach City; on their half of the beach, a metal fence was up to keep humans out of that area. *** Rose Quartz would be a considerable exception to this, as she visited other parts of the beach and saw Greg's concert, but became nervous when he insisted on following her. *** Pearl was confused (not knowing how to make him go away) and mildly bewildered by his presence, simply referring to him as "human" or "it". *** Amethyst asked him various questions. *** Garnet intended to evict him from the temple as soon as she saw him, treating him as an intruder and threatening him with violence. (This was put to a halt when Rose Quartz appeared.) * Peridot has stated that Earth was in the Crystal System, likely where the Crystal Gems derived their name from. * Peridot is so far the only one to join after Steven was born. * With the exception of Steven, each of the current Crystal Gems are named after a different birthstone. * According to Bismuth, it was a ritual for the Crystal Gems to spar before battle. * All known Crystal Gems (except for Amethyst and Bismuth) have demonstrated elemental powers: ** Garnet, as seen in "The Message", has Electrokinesis, she used this ability to power the battery in Greg's Van. *** Ruby, as seen in "Keystone Motel", has Pyrokinesis. *** Sapphire, as seen in "Keystone Motel", has Cryokinesis, she froze the entire motel room, including the toilet. ** Pearl, as seen in "Giant Woman", has Psammokinesis, she used this ability to create sand figurines of herself, Amethyst and Opal, in order to show Steven how fusion works. *** Pearl also has Nephelokinesis, as shown in Sworn to the Sword where she created a giant mass of fog out of thin air. ** Rose Quartz, as well as Steven, has Phytokinesis, which allows them to grow sentient flora that does what their creators say, this ability was first demonstrated in "An Indirect Kiss". ** Peridot, as first demonstrated in "Too Short to Ride", has Ferrokinesis, this ability allows her to control metal objects without needing to touch them. 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